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James Platts
James Platts (born Moose Factory, Ont.) is a former Victory Hockey League (VHL) player who spent six seasons in the VHL and VHLM between S7 - S12, beginning his first season at Age 19. Platts was selected 13th Overall by the Avangard Havoc in the S8 VHL Entry Draft and went on to become a regular defenseman after several seasons in the VHLM. Platts retired from the VHL after S12, walking away from a career that included a Continental Cup championship as well as a Founder's Cup championship. Despite playing three full seasons in the VHLM, his unconventional route to the league paid off as he eventually became an effective player despite not breaking into the VHL right away. Before the VHL Platts was selected by the Jonkoping Warriors with the 10th pick in the 2nd round during the S7 VHLM Dispersal Draft. After being drafted Platts immediately reported to his new team to begin his VHL draft eligible season with the Warriors. VHLM Career 'S7' Platts' first season in the VHLM was unspectacular and underwhelming, notching only 3 goals and 13 assists in 72 games. The Warriors had a dismal season, winning only 20 games and finishing second last in the 8-team VHLM. Platts went into the draft regarded as a potential late-blooming prospect with some decent upside. Most projected him as an early to late second round pick and he eventually was taken 13th overall by the Avangard Havoc. 'S8' Platts signed with the Havoc during the off-season and after attending training camp with the VHL team, he was assigned to their VHLM affiliate, the Toledo Scorpions. As a sophomore in the VHLM, Platts experienced significantly more on-ice success, where he upped his production totals to 22 goals and 63 assists as well as 85 shot blocks on the year. Despite the improvements, the Scorpions narrowly missed the playoffs as their 91 point season was eclipsed by the Jonkoping Warriors, who managed 92 points and claimed the final European Conference playoff spot. 'S9' The true breakout for Platts occured in S9 as the Toledo Scorpions established themselves as the class of the league. Platts had a tremendous season, scoring 48 times and assisting on 98 others for a total of 146 points. He also managed a +99 rating along with 120 shot blocks. The season earned him the defenseman of the year and most assists in the league accolades. Toledo's 130 point season was easily enough to earn them the top seed in the playoffs and they easily cruised to the Founder's Cup title with an opening round sweep of Vasteras and a 4-1 series win over Minot. Platts continued to enjoy his success in the playoffs, scoring 8 times and compiling 13 points along the way. VHL Career 'S10' After three seasons in the VHLM, Platts made the jump to the VHL in S10 with the revamped Avangard Havoc. Despite being older than some of his rookie counterparts, Platts made a seamless transition to the league scoring 15 goals and tallying 63 points. He quickly became one of the team's most dependable defensemen and also had a +5 rating to go along with 163 shot blocks. Avangard managed to claim the second seed in the European Conference, completing a rebuild after several years of poor on-ice performance. The Havoc were ousted in four games by future rivals the Riga Reign, where Platts was held pointless during the series. 'S11' The Havoc relocated to Davos, Switzerland in S11 to become the newly minted HC Davos Dynamo. A new location brought about new expectations as the youthful squad was poised for championship glory. Serving as a depth defenseman with the team, Platts was very effective in his role contributing on both ends. Platts finished with 16 goals and 56 points while also maintaining a +34 rating. Davos finished the season atop the European Conference, narrowly passing the Reign by only a two point margin. The finish set the two rivals up for a first round clash that was one to remember as the Dynamo managed a 4-3 series win. The Dynamo then went on to defeat Seattle in 6 games, winning the Continental Cup. Platts was strong along the way with 3 goals and 9 points, providing reliable defense and eating minutes on the backend. 'S12' Coming into the season as defending Continental Cup champions, expectations were high for the Dynamo. Platts enjoyed a career year in S12 as he had 14 goals and 35 points through his first 33 games in Davos before he was eventually dealt to Vasteras after Davos made the decision to endure a minor rebuild. He would go on to score 38 points with Vasteras, leading to season totals of 25 goals and 73 points in 66 games. Vasteras qualified for the playoffs as the second seed in the European Conference but were defeated in a gruelling 7 game series against the Riga Reign. Platts totalled 6 points during the playoffs in what would be the last games of his VHL career. Awards *'Continental Cup' | S11 - HC Davos Dynamo *'Vladimir Kostka Trophy' | S11 - HC Davos Dynamo *'Victory Cup' | S11 - HC Davos Dynamo *'Founder's Cup' | S9 - Toledo Scorpions *'Prime Minister's Cup' | S9 - Toledo Scorpions *'Oates Trophy' | S9 - Toledo Scorpions *'Bourque Trophy' | S9 - Toledo Scorpions *'Rookie All-Star Team '| S10 International Career Platts was selected to represent Team Canada during the S10 VHL World Cup where the Canadians would eventually walk away with a disappointing fourth place finish. The VHL sophomore defenseman had 1 goal and 8 points during the 10 games Team Canada played and was an effective defenseman in his only international showing. Retirement Following the conclusion of the S12 VHL season, James Platts elected to retire from the VHL to pursue other hockey opportunities. While Platts had an unconventional route to the league, his path is regarded as a success story for players who may be under the radar. Transactions History 'Contracts' Season 8 - J. Platts signs a 3 year, $3.85 Million Dollar entry level contract with the Avangard Havoc. Contract included a third-year player option and incentives worth up to $1.25 Million. Season 11 - J. Platts signs a 3 year, $6 Million Dollar extension with the HC Davos Dynamo. 'Trades' November 20th, 2010 - Davos trades James Platts and Tomas Ziegler to Vasteras in exchange for Vasteras' 2nd round pick in the S13 VHL Entry Draft. Career Statistics 'Regular Season Statistics' 'Playoff Statistics' 'International Statistics'